Session 14
The Shepherd and Discipleship
Regarding discipleship, what was Jesus instructing His followers to do, and how did He go about it? The method Jesus showed the early disciples to follow, was His own lifestyle. The Shepherd took them to one side and taught them all about Himself. They were captivated by His story, left everything they had and then followed Him. Fundamentally, what Jesus was showing them, was an outward looking commission. Read Matthew 28:19. As we make disciples of Jesus, we become more of the person Jesus designed us to be.
Discipleship can be described as “becoming a complete and competent follower of Jesus Christ?” At heart, a learner who has a servant heart and is called to a life of discipleship, that imitates the life of the Shepherd.
Certainly, Jesus’ first disciples seemed desperate to want to imitate Him in every thought, word, and deed, and when they seemed to succeed in it, amazing things happened around them. What was it that they saw? They saw that Jesus’ teaching was most effective, when He gathered His followers for meals, when He welcomed sinners, and when He healed those who were brought to him.
If we love the world in which we live, how can we ignore all that the Shepherd has instructed us to do? The question must be, if we follow the Shepherd’s instructions, what would it look like today?
First, inside the church.
The church needs to train leaders who will train leaders. This requires imparting the vision that the Shepherd is revealing to the church, together with unpacking the thumb print that God has placed on the individual fellowship. Once leaders know the basis upon which they are leading, they need to be free to seek the Holy Spirit in prayer and then carry out whatever He asks them to do in the church.
Second, outside the church and into the world.
Discipleship is not a program. It is not a ministry. It is a lifelong commitment to Jesus, with a lifestyle of going and making disciples.
Questions:
- Are you a disciple of Jesus? Do you have the desire to do what He is asking of you, and if so, are you equipped to fulfil the call to ‘go and make disciples’? What could this look like?
- If the answer to question one is no, but you have a desire to follow Jesus’ instructions, what do you think you should do to further your aims?
The Shepherd Speaks 